I had the pleasure of sailing a Tybee500 with Carl at the helm. It was one of my most memorable Tybee's. We conversed little but raced hard. It was cool in it's own way.

I think there is an opportunity here for the 20 but the width of the "niche" that this boat fits in the current market is not really defined. It's going to take some real vision to keep the boat class popular and active. There are some real conflicts showing in the opinions of the direction of the class (but this is a good start toward something for sure).

Having been a Nacra 6.0 owner/sailor, N20 owner/sailor and F18 owner/sailor, there are some takeaways I think we can learn from history. There are a few key factors to look at when developing this rule and a couple of teetering points that need to be decided:

1) Is the point to help the N20 survive or create a new formula class? Creating a new formula class will take an incredible amount of energy and dedication of a few people who can work the political strings and interest of the manufacturers and build interest within the sailors. Building a formula rule can be kind'a a chicken (manufacturers) or egg (sailors) situation - but you can't rely on it to be born from either one. You have to be the dog who doesn't care about chickens or eggs other than the fact they both taste great. Shear enthusiasm and influence on a large scale are required make it happen. To make the 20 "survive" is a completely different issue and I believe to two goals are mutually exclusive...you can't have both.

2) new boats. Without people buying new boats, the class is on a path to death. period. end of story. The Nacra 20 has an issue with the cost of boats, cost of replacement parts, and people willing to invest in the class. Until this is dealt with, sustaining or growing the class will not be possible. A formula rule with other manufacturers may help but you have to have the faith of the manufacturers and the sailors simultaneously to make it happen. Without support from both it won't happen formula style.

If the point is to make the Nacra 20 survive in it's current form, cost has to be dealt with, the rules need to be defined, an organizing body in place, and most importantly the needs and wishes of people with the means to purchase new boats need to be figured out and catered to.

If the idea is to honestly start a formula 20 class, I would consult with some of the founders of F18 in Europe and find the guys that started the F20 thing several years ago in Europe (and Carl) and sap them for every bit of insight and wisdom regarding how to get started (those folks are actually pretty accessible).